Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Is the ICT profession ready for the 18th Century?

Catching Up
This post is by way of a pit stop for regular visitors to PeoplePoints - of which - to my blushing astonishment there seems to be more and more. In any event, this last fortnight has been a bit of a whistle stop tour of New Zealand, and I have been conscious that my visits here have been a little episodic. So call this the catch up.

NZ Computer Society - lecture/presentation series.
First up, I have been on on one of NZCS national series when they invite people to come and share their thoughts with NZCS regional branches. I chose to offer some thoughts on Open Data - and its potential, especially from an ICT perspective.

And so, this last 10 days I have been in Dunedin, Christchurch, Hamilton, Auckland, closing off in Wellington last night.

Is the ICT profession ready for the 18th Century?
The presentation opened with a speculative challenge as to whether we - that's anyone involved in boot-strapping the next phase of the Internet as an open digital public space - are in touch with the historical parallels of the 18th Enlightenment and of how the subsequent gold seams of science and technology came about in part by, in addition to the long march to democracy, embedding public education and literacy as a key public good?

Developing 21st century digital public literacy
Turning to current challenges, my thesis was/is that the current definition/policy frameworks around open data - especially around government owned or managed data sets - needs to radically expand to include all the cultural/heritage data assets contained in the myriad of cultural institutions - libraries - galleries - archives - museums, which in turn are one of the great products of, and containers for, the inheritance of the 18th century Enlightenment.

And that, not only were these rich cornucopias of assets and opportunities key ingredients to the development of a 19th and 20th century public literacy, in turn they are key contributors to the development of 21st century digital public space, and its mystic twin - public digital literacy.
Tool Boxes
Moreover, I was/am strongly of the belief that - if we are serious about picking up the challenges to 21st century digital literacy - then tucked inside the search /find/share/transform/co-create mantras of various national and international digital content strategies - we need a whole bunch of additional tools than are currently showcased in storehouses/archives coming into view from the likes of Open Data USA or UK Open Data.

Should this interest, be advised there is an audio file of the presentation - and of course the obligatory slide deck. When I put the two things together, I will post them here.

Social Media Junction.
I also presented at the Social Media Junction event in Sky City here in Auckland on Monday. My brief was to offer 10 public/nor for profit examples of people using social media/ social networking tools/behavior as part of their core activities.

BBC - History of the World
And yes, as the image above suggests, I used the seminal British Museum History of the World Project as an example. And for the record, be advised that the second parallel BBC series just launched.

The audience, though primarily from the private sector corporate world seemed receptive. There was a very active Twitter tag #smj If this subject interests, then check it out.
Playing at House
Somewhere along the way I have re-grown a beard. Now I have sciatica in my left leg, and am limping along. So somewhere along the way, and if I give into the temptation to buy a cane tomorrow, my transformation into House is complete

You were "our" Paul Reynolds...It was my pleasure to engage with you as a co-member of the Digital Strategy Advisory Group. I will never forget the way you inspired us all with your passion for everything digital. You understood the potential of the internet required people from all communities to be educated and made aware of what was possible. You recognised people needed access to easy-to-use tools to express themselves and develop their own virtual communities. You supported those communities, whether culturally based or communities-of-interest to create something special. You have touched so many of us, however your legacy will live on in the many examples of community development that used internet solutions as a catalyst - the Tohue National site one of the best. When your namesake arrived in NZ to lead Telecom (also with a Scottish accent) there were a number of humourous moments which you took it in your stride. Please realise, that your friends and colleagues identified you as "our" Paul Reynolds...! RIP

This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!

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About Paul Reynolds

Paul is an Auckland based commentator and thinker on the impact of digital technologies on cultural, heritage, learning and knowledge networks.

He puts a strong emphasis on how communities access and contribute to knowledge.

McGovern OnlinePaul is the co-founder and Joint Managing Director of McGovern Online, a full-service on-line media company who, since 1995, have provided strategy, design and development in the field of new media and Internet to clients in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and the UK.